YouTube Will Pay Its Stars To Make Videos

Google's YouTube has a wealth of homegrown talent -- and it wants to keep it that way.

The video platform said Thursday it will invest in the creative types who have risen to Internet stardom on YouTube. The deals are intended to help its organically grown creators make high-quality content for the site.

YouTube will "fund new content from some of our top creators, helping them not only fulfill their creative ambitions but also deliver new material to their millions of fans on YouTube," the company said in a statement attributed to Alex Carloss, head of YouTube Originals.

It's not the first time YouTube has funded professional-level content. In 2011, YouTube invested in channels with Hollywood types like Sofia Vergara and Ashton Kutcher, though many of the channels were not renewed.

This time, YouTube seems ready to focus on the hugely popular creators that are unique to the platform, from fashion vlogger Bethany Mota to Epic Rap Battles of History, which pairs characters like Batman and Sherlock Holmes in word-slinging combat.

The creators' value hasn't escaped the notice of others -- Facebook is trying to court YouTube creators to join their site instead, and other sites like Vimeo are doing the same, telling creators they would be able to earn more on their platform even if they don't have the omnipresent reach of YouTube.

Currently, YouTube stars can earn money through a revenue share with
Google on advertisements on their content, though they've often said the rates are too low. Earlier this month, YouTube introduced Fan Funding, which lets fans donate directly to creators they like. They can also get lucrative advertising or product placement deals on the side if they have an audience brands want to reach.

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